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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29998776">Non-makers expect miracles</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/NeasieB/pseuds/NeasieB'>NeasieB</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Fairy Tales &amp; Related Fandoms, Rumpelstilzchen | Rumpelstiltskin (Fairy Tale)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/M, Fix-It, Rumplestiltskin is not evil in this one, Spinning wheels, king has no regard for other people, obviously because it's Rumplestiltskin, sassy miller's daughter, spinning straw into gold</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-03-12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-03-12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 10:02:20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Not Rated</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,848</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29998776</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/NeasieB/pseuds/NeasieB</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Rumplestiltskin, fixed.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Müllers Tochter | Miller's Daughter/Rumpelstilzchen | Rumpelstiltskin</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>9</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Non-makers expect miracles</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Once upon a time there was a miller who had but one daughter. She was beautiful, but more importantly, she was sensible and clever. She must have got that from her long-dead mother because she certainly didn't get it from her father. One day the miller heard that the king was to come to town, searching for a wife. “I know” said the miller to himself. “I'll tell the king that my daughter can spin straw into gold. Then the king will marry her and we'll be rich.” He didn't stop to think that if his daughter really could spin straw into gold, she would be rich in her own right and not need to marry the king to gain riches.</p>
<p>The king was very interested to hear about the miller's daughter's supposed skill and ordered her to be brought to the castle. He took her to a room filled with straw, with a spinning wheel standing in the middle of the floor. “You must spin all this straw into gold before daybreak. If you don't, I'll have you put to death” said the king, and left, locking the door behind him.</p>
<p>The miller's daughter was very upset and didn't know what to do. She knew she wouldn't be able to spin the straw into gold. Suddenly there was a puff of smoke and a man appeared. He was short and ugly and twisted, but his movements were nimble and his eyes were clever.</p>
<p>“So what's going on here?” he asked.</p>
<p>“My father told the king I could spin straw into gold. Yes, I know. So now the king has locked me in this room and says that if I don't spin all this straw into gold by daybreak, he'll have me killed.”</p>
<p>“How come you never learnt to spin?” asked the little man, “Thought it was beneath you, did you?”</p>
<p>“Oh I can spin alright,” said the miller's daughter. “But I need the proper raw materials. I can't spin this. Look at it. Even if I could get something out of it, I couldn't do it all in one night. No one could.”</p>
<p>“Non-makers never understand,” said the little man “They think we can do miracles – make a silk purse from a sow's ear, spin straw into gold. They don't understand what it involves and how much time it takes. They don't even want to understand. They just think the finished goods appear from thin air. What will you give me if I use my magic powers to spin all this for you?”</p>
<p>“Here is the silver necklace that my father gave to me. Since he got me into this mess I'm not really feeling well disposed towards his presents at the moment.”</p>
<p>The little man took the necklace and put it round his neck. He sat at the spinning wheel and ran his hands appreciatively over the polished wood. “Best make a start then. At least he gave you one of these fast flyer wheels. Double treadle too – nice. I wouldn't have put it past him to expect you to do it all on a drop spindle.”</p>
<p>The miller's daughter smiled at the little man.</p>
<p>***<br/>
The next morning when the king returned, he found the miller's daughter all alone and all the straw spun into neat, gleaming, skeins of gold.</p>
<p>“Well done,” he said. “Let's see you do some more.”</p>
<p>He took her to a larger room filled with more straw, with a spinning wheel standing in the middle of the floor.</p>
<p>“You must spin all this straw into gold before daybreak. If you don't, I'll have you put to death,” said the king, and left, locking the door behind him.</p>
<p>Once again the miller's daughter became very upset. She was very relieved when there was a puff of smoke and the little man appeared again.</p>
<p>“More?” he said “Doesn't want much, does he?”</p>
<p>“He says he'll have me killed if I don't spin it all into gold by morning,” said the miller's daughter, wringing her hands.</p>
<p>“What will you give me if I use my magic powers to spin all this for you?”</p>
<p>“Here is the silver ring that my mother gave me as she lay dying. I don't want to part with it, but Mother would rather I lost the ring than my life”.</p>
<p>The little man took the ring, threaded it through the miller's daughter's necklace and put them both around his neck.</p>
<p>“Better get cracking, then,” he said. He sat down at the spinning wheel. ”This is a different wheel. I'd got the tension all right on the last one and now it's all messed up again. Why would they even do that?”</p>
<p>“Because they don't understand. But thank you. I owe you my life. Everyone calls me the miller's daughter, but you can call me Adelheid”.</p>
<p>“Careful, lady,” said the little man, “To tell someone your true name is to give them power over you.”</p>
<p>The miller's daughter smiled at the little man. “You can call me Adelheid,” she said.</p>
<p>***</p>
<p>The next morning when the king returned, he found the miller's daughter all alone and all the straw again spun into neat, gleaming, skeins of gold.</p>
<p>“Excellent,” said the king. He took her to a truly enormous room filled to the rafters with straw, with a spinning wheel standing in the middle of the floor. “You must spin all this straw into gold before daybreak. If you don't, I'll have you put to death,” he said, and left, locking the door behind him.</p>
<p>Adelheid was very upset, but by now also quite angry. She was delighted when the little man again appeared in a puff of smoke.</p>
<p>“Not again?” said the little man. “Some people just don't know when to stop, do they? What will you give me if I use my magic powers to spin all this for you?”</p>
<p>“I don't know,” said Adelheid. “I have no valuables left. I'm only a miller's daughter. Anyway, I'm surprised you want precious metals from me given that you can literally make them out of straw.”</p>
<p>“Tell you what,” said the little man, “I'll do it on account. I'll spin the gold for you now and in one year's time when you're queen, you'll give me the thing you value most in the world.”</p>
<p>“No,” said Adelheid, “Because it won't be gold or jewels, will it? It will be something really valuable like my health or a member of my family. I'm not having that.”</p>
<p>“Oh-ho. You're a canny one,” replied the little man, “I like you. Let's make a bargain. I'll give you three days to discover my real name. If you do, I'll let you off. If you don't, I'll come back in a year's time to take the thing you value most.”</p>
<p>“Done.” said the miller's daughter.</p>
<p>***</p>
<p>The next morning when the king returned, he found the miller's daughter all alone and all the straw again spun into neat, gleaming, skeins of gold.</p>
<p>“Wonderful,” said the king, “You have proved yourself worthy to be my bride. We'll be married this very day.”</p>
<p>“Hold on,” said Adelheid, “That's a bit soon. I'll need to sew my wedding gown. Can we postpone it for three days?”</p>
<p>“Very well,” said the king. “In three days time I shall make you my bride. In the meantime you may live in my palace”.</p>
<p>So Adelheid moved into the guest suite at the palace and started to sew her wedding gown, but without much enthusiasm. On the first night the little man appeared again in a puff of smoke.</p>
<p>“Let me get this right,” he said, “You told the king you needed three days to make your wedding gown, and he believed you?”</p>
<p>“It is as you said,” said Adelheid, “Non-makers neither know nor care how long it takes to make things. He probably thinks three days is plenty of time. Don't worry, I'm not asking you to use your magic to finish it for me.”</p>
<p>“Good job,” said the little man, “I'm only here so you can tell me my name. You get three times three guesses each day.”</p>
<p>Adelheid smiled and set aside her sewing.</p>
<p>“Aaron? Abel? Albert? Barry? Benedict? Bernard? Cameron? Cedric? Charles?”</p>
<p>“That is not my name,” said the little man, “Two more days, lady, and then our bargain will be fixed.”</p>
<p>***</p>
<p>“Peter? Paul? Mary?” said Adelheid on the second night, “Curly? Larry? Moe? Wilson? Keppel? Betty?”</p>
<p>“Now you're just being silly,” said the little man.</p>
<p>***</p>
<p>“I have news, miller's daughter who will soon be the wife of our king,” said a page on the morning of the third day. “As I was walking by the river last night, I saw a strange little man. He was laughing and dancing and chanting <em>Adelheid must lose the game. For Rumplestiltskin is my name.</em> As you're the only Adelheid round here, I thought it might be of interest.”</p>
<p>“I thank you, page,” she said. “I would give you some of the gold spun from straw, only I haven't got any on account of the king taking it all, despite him not doing a hand's turn to make it, or indeed knowing one end of a spinning wheel from the other.”</p>
<p>Later that evening the little man appeared in a puff of smoke. “Last chance,” he said. “Have you finished that dress yet?”</p>
<p>“Never mind the dress,” said Adelheid, “Let's go straight to the name-guessing, shall we?”</p>
<p>“Suits me,” said the little man, and sat on the floor perhaps closer to Adelheid's feet than was strictly necessary.</p>
<p>“Greyman? Hob? Old Harry? Pooka? Puck? Robin Goodfellow? Old Scratch? Bogle?” she said.</p>
<p>“Closer,” said the little man, “But still not right, I'm afraid.”</p>
<p>“How about Rumplestiltskin?” said Adelheid slyly.</p>
<p>“Well, I'll be jiggered,” said the little man, “I knew you were a clever one. The game's up then. I'd best be on my way”.</p>
<p>“Wait,” said Adelheid.</p>
<p>***</p>
<p>“I won't marry you,” said Adelheid to the king. “You threatened to have me put to death. That's no basis for a relationship. Besides, there's someone else.” She looked meaningfully at Rumpelstiltskin.</p>
<p>“But you can't want to marry me,” said Rumplestiltskin. “I am short and ugly and twisted, and the king is tall and handsome.”</p>
<p>“So what?” said Adelheid, “You've shown me more kindness and consideration than any other man in my life, and that rates more than looks in my book. And since you can spin straw into gold we'll never be short of money. All in all you're a much better bet than the king, who only wants me because he thinks I can provide him with endless riches. I'd be pleased to marry you. If you'll have me of course.”</p>
<p>So Rumplestiltskin and Adelheid ran away together and were married. And in time Adelheid did after all give to Rumplestiltskin the thing she valued most in all the world. It was their first-born child. And they all lived happily ever after.</p>
<p>And the king married a beautiful princess who was just as shallow as he was. And they didn't live happily ever after, which served them right.</p>
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